The way Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool played without key players on Saturday suggests Manchester City won’t have things all their own way this season — but for anyone else hoping to break into the top four, it looks ominous.
The one thing that has separated Pep Guardiola’s group from the rest is strength in depth.
But the opening weekend indicates their three biggest rivals look stronger this time. You would expect Chelsea to beat Crystal Palace but the way they rolled them over comfortably without Romelu Lukaku, N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva was an eye-opener.